Gas leak may have caused blast at Long Grove home

LONG GROVE – Authorities say a natural gas leak might have caused an explosion that leveled a home and damaged more than two dozen others in a northwest Chicago suburb.

Sgt. Gianni Giamberduca of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office says that’s the conclusion of a preliminary review, though authorities are investigating further.

Sgt. Erwin Drummond tells the Arlington Heights Daily Herald a resident of the home smelled gas, saw sparks on a power generator and got out of the house moments before it exploded around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

She had minor injuries to her legs but declined medical treatment.

Don Thorp lives next door. He tells the Chicago Sun-Times there were two explosions, a small one that sparked a fire and a bigger one that leveled the house about three minutes later.